


Guiding Light

by Fafsernir



Series: Torchwood Prompts [45]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas prompts, Fluff, Humor, M/M, bit of angst, yes i like school AUs a bit too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-03 15:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 19,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8718364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fafsernir/pseuds/Fafsernir
Summary: Jack hadn't noticed Ianto at first but once he had, he couldn't quite shake off the image of Ianto in his mind. Maybe they could become friends—or more—even after a disastrous first meeting.





	1. Day 1: First impression/meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> As I mentioned sometimes at the end of my stories, I'm participating to list of prompts for the month of December that a friend wrote. You can find out everything you need to know about this on Tumblr, http://xmasprompts.tumblr.com  
> Basically, some of the prompts kept giving me ideas about something that happened during school rather than anything else, so I've decided to write every prompts in the same AU, haha what a crazy person...... Well. Anyway, it's a College!AU, sorry if you don't like! Although, I will try to write at least something for Christmas, but in verse.
> 
> The few basic infos are: they're in College in Cardiff; I have no idea how the hell British universities work; don't expect Gwen to appear in this, she won't; actually don't expect Owen to appear either, he will be mentioned just a couple of times; it's about Janto but I couldn't keep Tosh out of this so she's there; Gray is very sane and younger and cute and Ianto's mother doesn't have a name but is important (don't ask why I didn't give her a name, I have no idea). Oh and of course all of this was written in a short amount of time and mainly to entertain and spend a good moment, I didn't spend hours on this so I apologize for the poor plot and me trying to fit everything with the prompts ;) Well, it should be okay anyway! (If you're trying to understand the title, I was literally like "omg I don't have a title what is this story even about?" and was listening to Muse so this became the title.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 1: First impression/meeting"

****Jack hadn't previously noticed Ianto when he first bumped into him. He had noticed the handsome boy everyone had noticed and was talking about, but he hadn't noticed quiet Ianto Jones – as cute and handsome as the other one, in Jack's opinion. If he had, he wouldn't have pictured their first talk to be like this. Actually, he didn't picture any first meeting like this.

Jack had literally bumped into Ianto. He had been in a hurry, having a train to catch to go home, and hadn't seen that someone was on his way, busy texting his brother that maybe he would not be home on the hour he had planned to, so that he shouldn't wait for him and go to bed. Then Ianto had been right in front of him, and he had seen him way too late to be able to do anything about the collision.

Bumping into someone wasn't painful. At least, it wasn't, for Jack. He just had to steady himself and sighed because he had been lucky.

 

Ianto wasn't in the same case. _What a fucking jerk,_ was his first thoughts when that Jack guy literally made him fall.

He screamed at the impact, and fell without much resistance. If not for a reflex that was quickly followed by another cry, of pain this time.

“You okay?” Jack asked – Ianto only knew his name because someone had mentioned him once in a conversation.

“Fuck no,” Ianto growled from the floor.

When Jack helped him on his feet, he noticed his wrist hurt like hell.

“I'm so sorry, how can I repay you? Like a coffee or something?”

Hell no, Ianto just wanted to be left in peace and go home, but his wrist ached too much and that dumbass had probably just broken it or something. But then, a coffee sounded nice. After all, Jack looked cute, and Ianto knew for a fact that he was seeing both girls and boys, and more boys lately – he knew a lot about his sexual life and orientation for someone he had never met, yeah. So he nodded at the offer and hid his pain while Jack was giving him his number.

 

When they sat and talked a week after, Jack turned out to be a very easy person to talk to, and a funny man. That, and he looked gorgeous.

Jack even paid for the money Ianto had spent in getting his broken wrist fixed, and if Ianto refused at first, he quickly noticed that he couldn't really afford to refuse it. With a red face he had accepted the money, and Jack had asked for another coffee with him.

They had quickly become good friends that flirted a lot together, so Ianto had found himself having a crush on Jack. Not that he was going to try anything, but it was there, sometimes jumping at his face and doing weird things to him, but he could live with this, right?

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 2: Friendship/rivalry"
> 
> Don't hesitate to comment so I know what you guys think!

Ianto rubbed his neck and looked sideways at his phone buzzing next to his homework. He ignored it, worked for a minute, maybe two, maybe a dozen. It sure felt like at least ten, but maybe he just couldn't concentrate on his homework. Giving up, he stood, took his phone, and sighed dramatically as he sank on his bed.

“ _What's up?_ ” appeared on his screen, from Tosh.

He smiled and typed quickly, a simple response saying nothing about his current situation. Not that his current situation was very interesting. Or maybe it was.

“ _Don't pretend, I saw you with Jack_ ”

He laughed at the text.

“ _Oh damn, you saw me talking to someone else than you! Oh no, what am I going to do now?_ ”

“ _Haha. Seriously, what's up?_ ”

“ _Nothing, really. We just talk._ ”

“ _Okay but do you talk... talk or talk?_ ”

“ _... What? We talk, we just talk._ ”

“ _Oh. But like..._ ”

“ _Oh God Tosh, just spit it out._ ”

“ _Okay, I'm at your doorstep. Open?_ ”

Ianto frowned and jumped on his feet, looking at his window. Tosh waved at him from the street and Ianto almost ran downstairs.

“Mum! Tosh's coming, we're just doing some homework!” he yelled through the house.

When he didn't hear any answer, he noticed he was alone at home, and felt relieved. If he was going to talk about Jack to Tosh – and he knew he was – being alone was just prefect.

Tosh smiled innocently when he opened the door and Ianto simply rolled his eyes. She was his best friend, she had always been, and he knew he would have had to talk about Jack at some point, he had just hoped he could himself figure out exactly what was happening before. But maybe Toshiko could give him another view on the matter.

“So how is he?” Tosh asked as they were entering his room.

“Pretty handsome,” Ianto teased.

“Oh come on,” she sighed as she let herself fall on Ianto's bed, much like Ianto had done a few minutes ago.

“We should work.”

“Right, because you were working.”

“Totally, look, my books are on the table!”

“So much effort, I bow before you. I mean I totally would if I weren't so lazy,” Tosh laughed and Ianto joined her.

He sat with her on the bed, against the wall, with his phone. He showed her the most flirty texts Jack and himself exchanged and the ones from that night Jack was drunk and had told Ianto he looked damn good in a suit – Ianto had worn one for a job interview the same day.

* * *

“So you're in love,” Tosh concluded when they finished talking and were both just sort of thinking by themselves.

Ianto shook his head with a smile. “You know it's not that easy for me.”

And it truly wasn't. Ianto couldn't just love people. He needed to know them, to be with them, to do things with them, to date them, before he could even consider loving them. It had been a problem more than once when he had thrown I love yous just because the other person had said it, but that he had realised he didn't believe a word of it. It usually took him a couple of days to break up after that, because he didn't feel like he was loving as much as the other person, or he didn't feel like he wanted to be loved that way, or to one day love that person. So he didn't love people he had met only two months before, like Jack.

“I sure have a crush right now,” he shrugged, and Tosh hit him on the arm.

“That's so cute!”

“That's not cute. He's just handsome.”

“Yeah he is...”

“Are you daydreaming?”

“Are you?”

Ianto rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

“As long as you're here, care to explain to me how the hell sciences work?”

“With pleasure! But we're not done with that Jack talk.”

“You'll be the first to know, _if_ something happens,” Ianto winked at her.

They spent the evening working and Tosh stayed for dinner when Ianto's mother came back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 3: Family"
> 
> Don't hesitate to leave a comment! :)  
> I wanted to dig Ianto's relationship with his mother in this AU so I had to write about them!

“ _Tomorrow, after school. The pub near uni?_ ”

“ _Who will be there?_ ”

“ _Me. You, hopefully._ ”

“ _Is that a date?_ ”

“ _Is that a yes?_ ”

“ _Which pub?_ ”

“ _I'll wait for you in front of the school.”_

“ _I didn't say yes._ ”

“ _You didn't say no. I'll wait anyway._ ”

“ _I'll be there._ ”

“ _:-)_ ”

Ianto smiled at the text from Jack and looked up when his mother knocked at his door. He put the phone down and invited her in. She looked sad and was playing with her phone in her hands. Ianto had heard Rhiannon was on the other end, but had gone to his room not long after.

“Didn't she want to talk to me?”

“What?” his mother asked, then looked down at her hands and sighed. “Oh, yeah, but... You'll talk some other time.”

“Everything's all right, mum?” He didn't often see her sad as they tended to pretend everything was always all right in this family. Of course, things rarely were.

“Yeah,” she said, and scepticism must have shown on Ianto's face because she added, “Your sister isn't coming for Christmas.”

“What? Why?” Ianto asked, shocked. It had always been them three – four when his father was still there – at Christmas. Never without Rhiannon.

“She's with Johnny, then his family. She'll be here, just not... Well she'll come, of course, but later, with Johnny.”

“Oh,” Ianto said.

He eventually reached out to rub his mother's back and put his head on her shoulder, not knowing what to say. She hugged him for a while, and as he breathed in her familiar smell and realised he felt good in her arms, he didn't think and said something he had never dared to say aloud before.

“I like boys.”

It didn't even sounded right. And he didn't realise what the problem was when his mother tensed. Then, he slowly really understood what he had just said and moved away quickly, looking at the floor.

“I'm not gay!” he exclaimed. But it didn't sound any better than his first statement. “I-- I just... I can like boys as much as I can like girls. I don't actually mind who they are.”

There was a long silence and Ianto thought he would choke on it.

“So you're... bisexual?”

“Yes. No. I don't know. I'm something but I don't exactly know what, so it's hard to tell.”

“Oh,” his mother said. “Since when?”

“I don't know, I realised in middle-school.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Aren't you... mad?” Ianto asked, on his guard.

“Should I be?”

Ianto stared at his mother and shook his head. She ruffled his hair and smiled. “I just love you the way you are.”

Ianto blinked a few times, trying to realise his luck. All those years of stress for it to be so easy and natural. Almost unreal.

“So... Have you ever kissed a boy?” his mother asked and Ianto finally reacted.

“Mum!”

“Sorry, you seemed in the middle of a stroke. Have you, though?”

“Yeah...”

“Anything serious with someone?”

“There's been no one, Mum. I mean apart from the girls you knew about.”

“I see... Why tell me now, though? ... I'm just asking.”

“It's just that... ah... I'm...”

“You're seeing a boy?”

“No! I mean, maybe. I don't know. I have a date tomorrow.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really,” Ianto admitted shaking his head.

He already had trouble talking about Jack – his crush on Jack – to his friends, he wasn't going to make a full bio to his mother. Maybe she'd eventually see him, if Ianto was lucky.

She nodded and rubbed his back, mirroring what he had done earlier. Ianto kissed her on the cheek very briefly before she stood and she just smiled at him and opened the door.

“Mum?” Ianto called back.

“Yup?”

“I... Thank you.”

She smiled, and turned to leave, without answering. She nevertheless turned again, her hand on the doorknob.

“You'll be here for Christmas, right?”

“Mum, I'm 19, where do you want me to go?”

“Just checking.”

“I'll be there,” he chuckled.

She smiled again and closed the door, but stopped halfway.

“I might get you a very good present, but you can't tell your sister,” she whispered, and left with a laugh that made Ianto smiled happily.

He was glad she seemed to feel better. And particularly glad she accepted him as simply as this.

Realising what had just happened, Ianto almost jumped on his phone and opened his conversation with Tosh.

“ _I just came out to my mum?!!!_ ”

He didn't add anything and waited for Tosh's answer to tell her more about it.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 4: First date"

Jack fumbled in his pockets, looking for his phone. When he found it, and saw he had no texts, he sighed. He was starting to get really nervous about Ianto coming. Maybe he had just gone home, forgetting about him.

But not two minutes later, Ianto was walking with Tosh, talking and laughing with her, and Jack looked at him as if he hadn't already looked at him all day long. He had noticed the red shirt right away, and he probably would have drooled on his table, had Owen not been here to kick him back to reality. If the three buttons opened looked gorgeous on Ianto, the tie definitely was Jack's favourite. Ianto had added it between the moment Jack had last seen him and now, and it clearly was a plus, and a good surprise.

His dark hair was dishevelled, probably in the same way Jack's was – from nervously running his hands through his hair – and his blue eyes seemed to look right into Jack's soul. Which meant that Ianto was looking at him.

Jack nervously laughed as he realised they were facing each other and that Tosh was long gone, so he just looked stupid, standing there and staring at Ianto.

“Hi,” Jack chuckled, and almost physically slapped himself.

He didn't, because he looked stupid enough already, but he shook his head and smiled.

“Looking good,” he managed to say without sounding like a virgin fifteen-year-old girl.

“You too,” Ianto smiled back and Jack's heart missed a beat. Since when had Ianto's smile turned him into this gorgeous Welshman? “Shall we go?”

“Yeah. Yup. Yes. Sure,” Jack nodded.

To his surprise, Ianto didn't run away and he even looked happy and impatient. By the time they reached the pub, Jack had composed himself and could have a normal chat.

 

It wasn't anything wonderful or extraordinary for a first date, as they got along as well as the past weeks as friends, and flirted as much as they had. It was a bit lame, actually, as the pub was noisy and really not a good place for a first date, but they didn't complain.

In the end, they were in their own bubble and it was fine, even in a crowded place not made for dates at all. They then walked for a while, and Ianto walked Jack back to his flat.

“Want to go up for a drink?” Jack asked, not wanting to go just yet.

Ianto seemed to consider it, but shook his head.

“I'd better go catch my train,” he smiled.

“Oh, yeah,” Jack chuckled, again nervous.

They looked around for a while, with an awkward silence between them.

“Well, I should probably go,” Ianto eventually sighed.

Jack nodded and played with his keys for a few seconds, none of them moving. Ianto eventually leaned on to kiss Jack so briefly that he couldn't react. Ianto licked his upper lip then pursed his lips.

“Right, see you soon,” he smiled.

“Ianto,” Jack called back, taking Ianto's wrist.

He felt Ianto's heart beat fastening against his thump, and it echoed his own pulse. He put his hand on Ianto's cheek and tilted his head, giving time to Ianto to back off if he wanted. He didn't, and their lips met in a longer kiss than the previous one.

“I hope to see you on a second date,” Jack whispered against Ianto's mouth when they parted.

Ianto nodded eagerly and they kissed again, then went on separate ways, Jack grinning happily. It could have ended up worse, as a first date.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 5: Childhood"
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment, that's always a pleasure to read :)

Ianto sighed as he put the phone against his ear. He rubbed his forehead as he waited for his sister to pick up, and started to play with an action figure on his desk.

"Hey!"

The voice almost startled him, even if he knew Rhiannon would talk.

"Hi, it's Ianto."

"I know, it's written on the screen."

"Right... Well, Mum told me you wanted to talk the other day."

"Yeah, she kinda hung up on me..."

"She didn't take it in a really good way," Ianto sighed. Their mother seemed really sad because Rhiannon wasn't planning on spending Christmas with her family, but rather with her boyfriend, then her boyfriend's family. "Anyway, how's David?"

"Fine, still crying his lungs out," Rhiannon chuckled.

She had given birth three months earlier to a little boy they had named David. Ianto was an uncle, which was the weirdest thing ever because how could his sister have children when he himself was still in his studies? That sounded crazy.

"Well I can't wait to see him again," Ianto joked.

"Stay away as much as you can!"

They both laughed slightly then the silence that replaced their laughters became quickly awkward and Ianto coughed, having nothing to say. They had never been very close, especially not since their father had died, and Ianto often found himself at loss of words.

"I'll come for a couple of days soon. Is that okay? Mum told me you had a lot of work to do."

"Yeah I've got finals soon. I'm glad you're coming, though, and I'm sure Mum's thrilled. But I can't promise it will be very pleasant."

"I know, don't worry," Rhiannon sighed. "So how are things?"

"It's okay. How about you?"

"Same old, same old. I was wondering if you remembered where Dad took us when we were little? So I can take David when he'll be of age."

Ianto thought for a second, but he already knew the answer.

"I don't. I was too young."

"No but you know, he bought us ice-cream and we would go to the Park and it was so funny!"

"I... I don't remember anything like this," Ianto sighed.

They often had this discussion and it always ended the same way. Rhiannon would talk about a happy memory, and the only ones Ianto would be able to remember with his father were bad ones. If Rhiannon worshipped her father, Ianto, on the other hand, hated him.

"Oh come on, you cannot have forgotten that!"

"I'm sorry, I was too young."

He heard his sister sigh on the phone, then a baby screaming.

"I should take this," Rhiannon said, and Ianto knew she was waiting for him to stop her from hanging up.

He didn't say anything and they eventually ended the call with another awkward silence. Ianto ran his hand through his hair then shook his head.

He liked his sister, he really did, but he just had nothing to tell her. She wasn't living with them any more, she had her own life, she didn't even come home for Christmas, and they had never, _ever_ agreed on the memories they had of their father. Rhiannon always told him how loving and caring he had been when all Ianto could remember was a depressive careless father that had never done anything for him. But he was much younger than his sister.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 6: Stars"

“Jack, I told my mum I'd be home soon,” Ianto sighed, but still followed Jack. Not that he had a choice as the man was quite literally dragging him towards the Cardiff Bay.

“Tell her you'll catch the last train! Or you could come back to mine...” Jack grinned. “I'm kidding, it won't take long, and it's still pretty early. You won't regret it, I swear.”

He had stopped talking, and was waiting for Ianto to answer. Ianto rolled his eyes to try to put a little resistance, then nodded, closely watching Jack's smile which widened into the happiest smile Ianto had ever seen on his face. He tightened his hand on Jack's as they walked quietly side by side.

Ianto had no clue towards where or what they were going, but Jack had insisted he came with him. It felt awkward to hold Jack's hand in public but at the same time it felt so good to be with him, so Ianto didn't really care. He just wanted to spend a good time. And it felt like a second date, even if none of them had called it that way.

When Jack stopped, Ianto didn't understand why.

“It's too dark in here, what's happening?” Ianto asked, surprised to see the Bay plunged in darkness.

“Up,” Jack simply answered, and Ianto obeyed, looking up.

The night-sky was beautiful. The stars seemed to shine even more than from Ianto's house in Newport, and a shooting star soon appeared, only to disappear a few seconds after. Ianto stared at the sky for a long time, in awe. It was both wonderful and frightening. He loved space, but it scared him to think that in all these Universes, there had to be another form of life. Earthlings couldn't be the only being in this infinity.

He looked down, overwhelmed by his thoughts, and glanced around. People had gathered to see this, and he had no idea what it was.

Then he looked at Jack, realised their hands were still clasped together, and froze. Jack was crying, and Ianto didn't know if it was from joy, sadness, or the fact that he wasn't blinking and that the wind was cold. But he was crying and Ianto's heart quickened in his chest. Being here with Jack intimated him. Being here with Jack crying was just weird and he didn't know what to do.

But Jack looked genuinely happy. He was smiling despite the tears, and he clearly was in admiration. He loved space, he loved stars, he definitely had a profound bond with it, and Ianto thought it was sweet. Jack had never mentioned it but now he had dragged Ianto to this beautiful show, and Ianto felt a wave of positive and warm feelings for him.

Jack looked at him, probably because he could feel Ianto's stare for a while now, and he smiled. Not the broad grin he often wore, but a small and perfect smile.

Ianto didn't think and leaned on to kiss him. It was their second time and Ianto felt the same warmth spreading in his chest as they kissed. He contained a moan as their tongues danced together, and put his hands under Jack's coat, enjoying the heat. Jack's hands were on his face and Ianto pulled back when the coldest one made its way beneath his scarf. He chuckled against Jack's lips and opened his eyes to see that Jack was already staring at him.

Jack still had tears in his eyes, and it gave another sort of beauty to his blue eyes.

“Sure you don't want to go back to mine?” Jack whispered, but Ianto shook his head. “Okay. Can you stay a bit more? Just enjoy the moment?”

Ianto smiled and nodded. They kissed again then hugged in silence, both looking at the sky in this position, feeling the other's breath against them.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 7: Ice skating"

**Day 7:** Ice skating

Ianto smiled as Tosh and he entered the ice. It was a tradition every year to go ice skating together at least twice, and this year wouldn't be an exception. By now, they were pretty good at it, and it allowed them to spend a good moment together.

Ianto did one turn, his hands in his pockets, then realised Tosh wasn't by his side any more and skated until he joined her again. She was talking with some family's friend, and excused herself when she saw Ianto. He offered his hand, and the adult let them go with a sweet smile.

They played for a moment, trying to make the other fall or to go faster. Ianto managed to beat Tosh at the latter, but he had to avoid someone at the last second, and ended up arse on the ice, and stayed there until Tosh caught up with him, laughing.

"Need help to stand?"

"Nah, I'm just using the ice as a tranquillizer to my pain."

"I hope it's working," Tosh laughed.

"I'm not sure yet," Ianto sighed.

"Are you trying to set up a record this year?"

"What do you mean?"

"You already broke your leg around May, and your wrist in October."

"I didn't break my arse," Ianto pouted.

Tosh laughed again and helped him up.

"So, what are you dying to tell me?" Tosh asked as Ianto was testing how painful his legs were. He stopped, and looked up, confused.

"What?"

"Something happened yesterday because you got that silly smile on your face and you usually complain about falling while ice-skating, you do not joke about it."

Ianto shrugged, found a particularly painful spot on his thigh and winced.

"Okay," he said. "We went out last night, with Jack. Star gazing. Yes, very romantic, I know. I kissed him."

"Oh I know, I was there and saw you two snogging under the stars," Tosh smiled.

Ianto blushed despite himself, then frowned. "And you couldn't say that earlier?"

"Nope! It was fun."

"Were you spying on me?"

"I was just there with my parents, they thought it would be nice. Are you officially together then?"

Ianto didn't answer, thinking, and shrugged. "I don't know, we don't talk about it. I mean, we're dating. Kinda. I truly have no idea, and I'm fine by it."

"Have you already..."

"What?"

"You know," Tosh shrugged as if stating the obvious.

"Oh God, Tosh!" Ianto exclaimed when he realised that his best friend was trying to ask him if he had had sex with Jack.

"Have you?"

"No!"

"You want to?"

"What kind of question is this?"

"Curious kind?"

"Of course I want to," Ianto sighed. "Can we not talk about this here?"

"Sure," Tosh winked at him with an innocent smile.

He growled and rolled his eyes, but didn't insist, because he really didn't want to talk about this, certainly not in a public place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God I'm sorry the end was rubbish and I tried to re-write it, but I was watching Yuri on Ice (great anime, watch it!) so I couldn't concentrate and, well, I just think I can't get my head around any other way to end this so... Well. At least this one is less abrupt than the previous one ;)
> 
> Don't hesitate to leave a comment, and maybe I'll try to write some in-verse & Christmas-related fics with Torchwood ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 8: Christmas decoration of the house/tree"

“ _My flat, ASAP_ ”

Ianto frowned at his phone, wondering why the hell Jack needed him at his flat.

“ _What for? I'm working._ ”

“ _Important stuff? Don't leave me alone._ ”

“ _What's happening?_ ”

“ _Gray wants me to decorate the house for Christmas or else he won't come back, ever._ ”

“ _Seriously, Jack?_ ”

“ _Bring Tosh along. It should be fun!_ ”

“ _I'm working..._ ”

“ _Oh really?_ ”

“ _Okay, nope. But Tosh is._ ”

“ _She's a genius already, Just tell her my brother's cute!_ ”

“ _I'll see what I can do._ ”

“ _Thanks!_ ”

Ianto hesitated a second then dialled Tosh's number.

 

When they arrived, Jack opened with a Christmas tinsel around him.

“You came!” He happily exclaimed. “Gray got impatient and said he would decorate me until I start doing the same to the flat. Please, help me.”

He was almost begging and his friends laughed. Jack opened the door wider to let them enter, but decided against it and almost closed the door behind him, stepping out of his flat. Before anyone could ask him what he was doing, he cupped Ianto's face and kissed him.

When their parted, Ianto still hadn't moved.

“Jack! I'm hungry!” A voice called from inside.

“Right,” Jack whispered, still against Ianto's lips. He gave a quick peck to his lips then turned to Tosh. “Sorry, I had to,” he smiled. “We're coming, Gray!”

He opened the door again and really invited them in this time, winking when Ianto passed in front of him.

Ianto felt Jack's eyes on his back and tried not to blush when he met Tosh's eyes and her knowing smile. She nodded to herself, then turned to see Jack's little brother running toward them. He put another Christmas tinsel, around Tosh's neck, but Jack lifted him from the ground before he could do the same to Ianto.

Since Jack was really bad at decorating and Tosh had never done it by herself, Ianto guided his friends. Not that it was a tough task. Gray was eager to see the flat decorated, but he didn't want to help at all. His only contribution made Jack fall while he was hanging a Christmas decoration at the top of the tree. It had been fun, until Jack had started bleeding and Ianto had taken him to the bathroom to help with his cut.

 

“I'm hurt, you should kiss me,” Jack pouted as Ianto was carefully disinfecting the wound.

Ianto looked at the door, then shook his head with a smile. “There you go,” he said instead.

“No bandages?”

“You're not going to die and it's better if you expose the skin to the air.”

“So, do I get a kiss?”

Ianto rolled his eyes and kissed Jack on the cheek. Jack pouted again and tilted his head in silence. Ianto chuckled and finally kissed him on the lips.

“We should get back to them,” Ianto said and stood to gather everything.

“Ianto.”

“Yup?”

“Do you want to come tomorrow?”

“Where?”

“Here. Gray will be back at the house with his nanny, and I'm throwing a little party before all the exams. Interested?”

“Tomorrow is Sunday.”

“Yeah.”

“And you're having a party?”

“... Yeah?”

“Who'll be there?”

“Not much, just some friends. I want you to come.”

Ianto raised an eyebrow and had an amused smile and Jack shook his head with a laugh when he understood what Ianto was thinking.

“You perverted mind! Not like this! I mean, unless you want me to...”

Ianto shushed him by kissing him then turned to leave.

“They'll start asking questions if we stay here.”

“So will you?” Jack called before he could open the door.

“What?”

“Come.”

“You bet I will,” Ianto winked at him and closed the door behind to hide his smile. He got back to Tosh and Gray who were finishing decorating the tree together, and Jack joined them soon after, looking happy.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 9: Drunken night"

When Jack had asked Ianto to come, Ianto hadn't planned on drinking. At least, not that much. It had just sort of happened because things turned out that he was really bad at games involving alcohol but he had stubbornly played until Owen, one of Jack's friend, had forced him to stop and sit.

And now he was sitting on the couch, he had been for a while, and alcohol was starting to lose its grip, and Ianto could see a bit clearer. He was far from being sober, but at least he could walk and have a coherent thought he didn't forget about as soon as he stood. Find Jack.

Tosh had stayed at home, which Ianto should probably have done too, because he felt dumb, looking for Jack in his too-big flat. When he came back to the living room after going around for a while – he probably lost himself – people were gone. He must have fallen asleep, maybe.

Two strong arms steadied him as he missed the wall when trying to lean against it, and Ianto laughed.

“Found you,” he said to Jack who smiled. “God, I love your smile,” Ianto said and kissed Jack.

He managed to shove Jack against the wall without ending up on the floor. He only stopped when Jack mumbled a “Wait,” between their lips, but attacked his neck instead.

Jack moaned, and Ianto smiled because Jack almost forgot what he had to say, but he eventually talked. “I'm totally wasted, Ianto, I...”

Ianto stopped his kisses and looked at Jack. “Me too,” he chuckled.

Jack frowned, then laughed. He suddenly gasped when Ianto pressed his thigh against Jack's crotch and bit his neck, living a bruise that he kissed afterwards.

“Can we... oh God. Just... Bedroom?” Jack managed to articulate, and Ianto stopped only briefly to take Jack's wrist and drag him to the bedroom.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 10: Hangover"

Ianto opened his eyes and closed them quickly. He wasn't supposed to have the sun in his bedroom the morning. But even though something was off, his brain didn't catch up with the information and he expressed his pain loudly. His head hurt so much, and he hadn't felt like this since... the last time he had been drunk. _Fuck_.

He started to panic when he realised that the weight against his back and on his arm wasn't a heavy blanket but a chest, and an arm. He suddenly turned, ignored his head protesting, and sighed when he saw Jack. At least it was someone he knew. And liked. And was dating.

He tried to put pieces together, and remembered he had drank too much, then he had a big blank, and the next thing he knew was that he had randomly wandered in the flat until he had found Jack again. And he had found him. And... Well, that at least explained why they were both at least partly naked.

“Thinking about me?”

Ianto blinked, looking at Jack in surprise. He hadn't even noticed he was awake. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah... I don't know. I'm sorry I was drunk...”

“It's okay. I was too. Can you remember?”

“Bits. You?”

“Everything,” Jack grinned.

“Shit,” Ianto sighed when he truly realised what he had done. What they had done.

“You didn't want it to happen?” Jack asked, suddenly worried about what Ianto was going to say.

“No... I mean, yes I wanted, but not like this. I mean, I didn't want it to be like 'perfect moment' and everything, you know? But like... Me not being drunk would have been good, too.”

“Don't worry, you didn't do anything embarrassing.”

“I came awkwardly fast,” Ianto said without thinking.

“... True. But that's good for my ego. And I won't brag about my time.”

“Wait... You didn't last much longer, did you?” Ianto asked, finally daring to look at Jack.

“I didn't. But it's been a long time for me,” Jack laughed.

Ianto shook his head then smiled when Jack put his head on his shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

“Hum, I should ask, though...” Ianto started, blushing slightly at what he was going to say.

“Yeah?” Jack asked, kissing his shoulder, and that truly didn't help Ianto.

“Was it... erhm... I mean... Well.”

“Still waiting,” Jack smiled between two kisses.

“Was it a one-time thing?” Ianto eventually said in one breath, dreading the answer.

Jack stopped and looked up at him, frowning. “Do you want it to be?”

“No! I mean, no... If you don't mind. I don't... It's kinda nice, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. So, let's not make it a one-night stand.”

“Oh. Okay,” Ianto nodded.

“How about I prove to you right now that it's not a one-time thing?” Jack asked, rolling to be on top of Ianto, and kissing his neck then his chest.

“I-- erh I think I should go...”

“It's Monday, and we don't have anything to do because we don't have to go to Uni'. And I really don't want you to go.”

“I really have to work, though.”

“Okay. But you give me twenty minutes.”

Ianto seemed to consider the offer, and Jack looked at him, having stopped his kisses in the meantime.

Finally, Ianto smiled and took Jack by the upper arms to roll them over, holding his wrists so he wouldn't be able to move.

“Deal,” he chuckled and leaned on to kiss Jack. “But first,” Ianto said, straightening. “I really need a painkiller for my head.”

Jack laughed, and nodded, so Ianto let him go, sinking back into the bed, and only looking up because Jack walking around naked was quite worth it.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 11: Movie night"

Ianto cracked his neck with a sigh as Tosh did the same with her knuckles. They smiled at each other and Tosh lay on Ianto's bed as Ianto stayed on his chair. They had just spent the evening working together, and had been really efficient for once.

“So how was the party?” Tosh asked, even though they had already talked about it.

It was as if she knew Ianto hadn't told everything, and he hadn't, because he had wanted to work, not talk about Jack for hours. But now they were done for the day, so it wouldn't hurt him to think about it...

“Okay so I told you I slept there...”

“You did it.”

“Yeah, that I told you,” Ianto smiled.

“No, I mean, you did _it_.”

Ianto laughed and shook his head. “We didn't do anything like this. Well, like this, yes, but we didn't do it, _it_.”

“... That's confusing,” Tosh sighed and turned to stare at Ianto more directly. “What did you do?”

“I am not telling you that. We just... I just helped him and he helped me, if you see what I mean.”

“Oh, you jerked him off, and he did the same.”

“Tosh!” Ianto exclaimed, half shocked by her choice of words, even if he knew her by now. “Almost.”

“What do you mean, almost?” She frowned.

“Well I... Tosh, I said I wouldn't talk about it.”

“Right, sorry.”

There was a silence, then Ianto rolled his eyes. “Fine, he went down on me,” he admitted.

Tosh looked at him, surprised, then smiled. “I hope you enjoyed,” she winked at him.

“I sure did. Now can we talk about anything else before my mum comes back?”

She nodded and chuckled, then put a serious face back on and found another subject, talking about what they still needed to work on.

 

As often, she stayed for dinner, and before Ianto and she could hesitate between going to Ianto's room a bit more or leaving each other for the night, Ianto's mother asked them to watch a movie with her.

“Oh come on, you're not gonna fail your exams because you watched one film with your mother!” She exclaimed at their sceptical stares. “Or your best friend's mother,” she added for Tosh who laughed and shrugged, showing she didn't mind.

They set the living room for a film – the coffee table was closer to the sofa so they could put their feet on it, they brought a warm long sheet, and they made some popcorn – and put on a James Bond film they all had already seen, which allowed them to comment every two seconds.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 12: Pillow fighting"  
> (Because the Joneses are cute)

Ianto didn’t know who had started this. He had been lazily working on his bed, and his mother had entered to tell him that Rhiannon would soon come. Next thing he knew, he was trying to duck the pillow his mother was throwing at him, and it had quickly turned into a pillow fight. His mother had always been good at them, and Ianto was soon attacked by three pillows at the same time.

Rhiannon entered the house with her keys, and followed the origin of the noises, only to find herself with a pillow being thrown at her. She stared at her mother and brother fighting on the bed and blinked a few times. Her mother then asked help, and she joined them with a smile.

Ianto was trying to get away from the bed and hide beneath – it didn’t work any more since he was too tall to go under, but he still had the reflex – but his sister put him back on the bed and he was now lying on the bed, crying because his mother and his sister – that viscous traitor – were tickling him and he couldn’t breathe properly.

After a few minutes – an eternity – of torture, they let him catch his breath and Ianto tried to stand, but his family tickled him again. He managed to get free and ran downstairs, panting against a wall’s angle so they would stop taunting him.

“Well, brother, what are you doing there?” Rhiannon asked innocently when they walked to the living-room.

Ianto sighed, relieved, because he knew the game was done. He still sat far away from his sister and kept a suspicious eye on his mother, which made both of them laugh.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 13: Treason/Lies"

Ianto opened his door and smiled.

“My sister's in,” he quickly said to Jack who pouted.

They made their way to Ianto's room, and Jack kissed him passionately as soon as the door was closed, pressing Ianto against it.

“Right, you were here for something,” Ianto whispered when they parted, but he was looking at Jack's lips.

It was a few more kisses before they both stopped and Jack rubbed his neck with an innocent smile, closing his eyes. “Sorry, I got carried away,” he chuckled.

Ianto shook his head when Jack opened his eyes again, and pecked his lips before opening a drawer. He took a notebook from it and handed it to Jack.

“Oh thank God, you're saving my life!” Jack exclaimed, taking it quickly.

“Aren't you doing it at the last minute?”

“Yeah, but that's okay. Sciences are easy! I just didn't remember something and I can't get my hands on my notes and... Well, actually, I kinda wanted to see you before.”

“Something's wrong?”

“Not at all! I just miss you,” Jack shrugged as if it weren't a big deal, but Ianto could tell it wasn't something he said a lot.

“We've seen each other two days ago,” Ianto smiled.

“Yeah, I know. I remember well... But I just wanted to see you, okay?”

Ianto nodded, not adding anything because he was afraid of what Jack might say. If his feelings for Jack had grown into something that looked like love, Ianto was far from saying it to Jack's face, but he would probably answer automatically if Jack said it to him. And he didn't want to say it as a reflex, not the first time. It usually ended up badly when it happened like this.

He shook his head when Jack put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking,” Ianto replied.

“I better get going, I feel like I'm late in my revisions...” Jack sighed.

“You totally are.”

“Last kiss for the condemned man?” Jack asked with a small smile.

Ianto rolled his eyes but smiled. “You're not going to die.”

“I might as well! Imagine my papers just take life and try to choke me?” Jack said, looking both hurt by the fact that Ianto didn't think he was condemned and horrified by the idea of his papers murdering him.

Ianto laughed and kissed him soundly to shut him, which honestly worked very efficiently.

They lost themselves for a moment, then both decided it was better if Jack went back home, and made their way downstairs.

“See you tomorrow, then?” Jack asked as he was putting his coat on.

“Sadly, yes.”

“Oh, but you like to see me,” Jack winked at him.

“True. Come on, off you go, you have things to do,” Ianto said, trying to motivate both Jack and himself.

Jack sighed and nodded, but before Ianto could open the door for him, Jack kissed him one last time. Ianto pulled away and shook his head, avoiding Jack's eyes.

“Sorry,” Jack whispered, and opened the door by himself, then closed it with one last look at Ianto who kept his head down.

Ianto sighed once alone and rubbed his eyes, then walked to the living room where he had been talking to Rhiannon, and working next to her, before Jack had come in. His doubts were confirmed when he saw her. She looked betrayed, and shocked. So she had guessed about Jack, or had just overheard them.

Ianto mentally cursed.

“Already leaving us?” he asked casually as he sank on the couch, pointing at the bag she had next to her. She had just taken a few things for the two days she was staying, and apparently was ready to leave – which made sense as she had to pick David up from a friend's, soon.

“I was doing my bag,” Rhiannon calmly said, and Ianto's heart fastened in his chest. “Upstairs. I heard you laugh, you know you don't laugh a lot?” she asked.

“Rhi', I--”

“Then I heard both of you,” she interrupted him. “Are you seeing that boy, Ianto?”

“Huh... I'm...” He tried, but sighed in frustration and nodded weakly.

“Have you gone bender?”

“That's not... erhm... that's a bit offensive,” Ianto stuttered then took a deep breath. “I'm not gay. I just... I just like Jack, is that a problem?”

“That's as close to a definition of gay as I can get. Didn't you have girlfriends?”

“I don't... Fuck, Rhi', I just like who I like, okay? I don't care about the person being a girl or a boy, or anything, you know?”

“No. No, I don't know. You never tell me anything,” Rhiannon frowned. She looked more hurt than disgusted, which Ianto had been afraid of – rejection.

“It's not that...” Ianto began, but failed at coming up with a good excuse. He had none, he just had been afraid and hadn't wanted to tell her, because he didn't think she really cared.

“I told you everything about Johnny when we started dating,” Rhiannon exclaimed suddenly.

That threw Ianto off, and he answered without thinking, “But I didn't care! Dad had just blown his brain off, do you think I gave a fuck about Johnny?! And the guy hates me!”

“You do not talk about Dad like this!” Rhiannon exploded, just like Ianto had done.

They both were standing now, facing each other and clenching fists.

“He left us, just like you did, just like you're doing for Christmas,” Ianto hissed between gritted teeth.

“I'm trying to have a life! Can't you understand that?” she said to defend herself.

“That doesn't mean you have to kick Mum out of it!” Ianto yelled.

And it was the heart of the problem. They were the archetypal family where the son was closer to the mother and the daughter to the father. Rhiannon loved their mother, of course, but she often put more effort in remembering and talking about her dead father rather than talk or spend good time with her living mother. She never mentioned it, but Ianto knew it hurt her deeply to see that her daughter seemed to have put distance between them since her husband had died – killed himself.

“I'm not doing this,” Rhiannon whispered, tears in her eyes.

“You can't blame me for not saying something when you're barely here yourself. I didn't talk to you because you're not acting like my older sister, but like the family's friend that sometimes check on us,” Ianto said, his face purposely emotionless.

Rhiannon took the retort as a punch in the guts. She opened her mouth, then closed it, not finding anything to reply.

“I... I'm sorry,” she eventually said. “I didn't know it was...”

She didn't finish her sentence, and reached out to Ianto who looked down and shook his head.

“That's not me you should be apologizing to. I get it. I'd probably have done the same, have I had money for it.”

“Is this all because of Christmas?” Rhiannon sighed, letting her hand fall as Ianto had refused it.

“No, it's not. She doesn't mind that much, it was just an excuse to see you, and she was so sure you'd always come. She knows you have Johnny, and his family, and she's happy for you, but maybe try to come by the house a bit more? You don't live that far. Or invite her at yours. Or just call more often. I'm not saying every weeks, but once in a while. I'm just like you, Rhi'. I don't know what to say or do. You can just ramble about what David is doing, she's her grandmother after all,” Ianto smiled, and was the one to put his hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, tried to come up with a smile, but failed, and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Ianto froze, highly uncomfortable.

“I don't... really mind, you know? As long as you're happy,” she muttered against his shoulder.

“What?” Ianto asked, confused.

“That boy you're seeing. He sounds like he's making you happy.”

“He is,” Ianto smiled. “I am.”

“Good.”

Ianto stared at the wall behind Rhiannon, realising that yes, he was happy. He felt fine, and Jack was a huge factor in this happiness.

The door opened and Ianto stepped back.

“Ianto, you home?”

“In here, mum,” he called and her mother soon appeared in the doorway.

“Oh you're still here Rhi'!”

“I'll be in my room if you're looking for me,” Ianto smiled. “'Til next time,” he added to his sister who nodded.

He kissed his mother on the cheek on his way to his bedroom and collapsed on his bed to work before the day of his exams.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt is like the main reason this whole AU exists, and I wrote only this haha, Oops (maybe that was just an excuse, though)
> 
> "Day 14: Finals/studies"

Ianto rubbed his face with one hand as they were waiting for their last exam. It had gone pretty okay so far, normally, and Ianto was satisfied with what he had done so far. It wasn't brilliant, but he hoped it was enough.

He was talking to Tosh and some other friends with Jack hugging him for a while now. Jack had his head on his shoulder, and didn't participate much to the conversation, apparently stressed by that last exam. Ianto had only one arm around him, his other hand in his pocket. When everyone started to go into the classroom, Jack sighed in his neck and finally moved.

“Good luck,” he whispered and snogged Ianto long enough for them to be the last to enter.

“You too,” Ianto managed to say before they had to go different ways.

He had been a bit stressed about this last exam, but now had the silliest smile on his face, his stress gone. Ianto was in a peaceful state of mind when he read the exam, and answered what he could. Which wasn't a lot, but his mind kept wandering on the fact that he'd be sleeping at Jack's flat after this, and he couldn't wait to be alone with him.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 15: Anxiety/Depression

Jack struggled with his dream – his nightmare – and Ianto started to panic next to him. He shook him and when Jack finally awoke, with a painful gasp for air, he pushed Ianto away. He fell back with a loud thump and rubbed his head, still on the floor.

“Shit, I'm sorry,” Jack said not long after, helping Ianto to climb back on the bed.

“It's okay,” Ianto smiled. “What were you dreaming about?”

“I don't remember,” Jack shrugged, and it clearly was a lie, but Ianto didn't push.

“Just a bad dream, then... Let's get you back to sleep, okay?”

“Yeah... I'm sorry,” Jack said again.

Ianto shook his head with a small smile and lay back next to Jack who put his head on his shoulder.

“Ianto?” Jack whispered after a while, his voice shaking with emotion.

“Yeah?”

“Can I... huh... Can you hold me?” Jack asked hesitantly. “I mean it's just that... It'll be easier if I can feel... something. I mean, feel you... like, it helps me to actually--”

Ianto shushed him by kissing him lightly, then turned on his side and took Jack in his arms. Jack sighed, relieved, and found a comfortable position to sleep in.

During the night, Ianto felt Jack shaking, and felt tears on his chest, but he didn't say anything. His heartbeat fastened and he held him closer, but he said nothing.

 

In the morning, Jack didn't mention what had happened, but he seemed a bit more distant than usual. He wasn't grinning as always, he hadn't made any innuendo, not even when he had taken a shower and Ianto had stayed alone to make a breakfast. He seemed sad, and that was unusual.

Ianto kept wondering what was happening for Jack to close like this, but he didn't ask. He knew better than to bluntly ask someone what was wrong, especially someone that tried so hard not to show his emotion. Jack always appeared happy, but Ianto knew there was more to it. He was vulnerable, he could get upset, he could get sad, Ianto had seen him in all those states. But this was different.

Jack looked like a wreck, his steps were lingered on the floor, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days, which Ianto knew was not true. He had slept, he just hadn't rested, apparently. All in all, Jack appeared depressed.

So Ianto took care of him, but he didn't say anything. He made breakfast, pressed some oranges to give enough energy to Jack to keep working during the day, he kissed him lazily, not asking for more than just kisses. It seemed to work a bit, and Ianto even managed to make Jack laugh with a really lame joke, which was an achievement for Ianto.

Instead of going out, as Jack had suggested the day before, Ianto asked for a day at the flat, watching some movie – a comical one.

 

Ianto was half falling asleep in front of it, not having slept a lot as he had watched Jack most of the night, and just when sleep was claiming him, something woke him up. They were lying on the bed, watching the film on Jack's computer, Jack sitting with his back against the wall and Ianto lying between his legs, his head resting on his stomach so they both could see the screen.

It took him a few seconds to realise that Jack had awakened him by clenching his stomach, and it took him even more time to realise that he was trying to hide his sobs by doing so. Ianto didn't look at him right away, but straightened and closed the computer, the film stopping at the same time, and eventually turned to Jack who was looking at the wall rather than Ianto.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ianto asked, putting a strong hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack looked at him briefly, then looked away again. He shook his head weakly, and Ianto nodded with a smile. He pulled Jack into a hug in silence, rocking him and rubbing his back, and Jack stopped containing his tears and broke down in his arms.

Ianto was surprised that whatever was bothering Jack made him cry that much.

“Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?” Ianto softly asked when Jack pulled back.

“I... It's nothing important...”

“Hey, hey,” Ianto said, taking Jack's hand and trying to catch his eyes. When Jack finally looked at him, he smiled. “Everything has its importance. Let me be the judge of this, okay?”

Jack nodded and Ianto kissed him, bringing one hand to his face to wipe the tears away. Jack nodded again and Ianto moved to put the computer away from the bed then sat on the bed, waiting for Jack to talk.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 16: Memories"

Jack played with his hands then stood. He opened his wardrobe and took a box, opening it carefully. He handed a picture to Ianto, of a man that definitely was Jack's father, with what seemed to be his wife and his son. So Jack's mother and Jack himself, probably.

“That's my father,” Jack quickly explained. “I was six when this was taken.”

“You never mention him,” Ianto said, more for himself than for Jack.

“I know, it's just... painful. He died ten years ago. Well, he's 'lost in the sea', still today.”

“I'm sorry,” Ianto whispered. “Was he a mariner?”

“Not at all, he was a brilliant lawyer. That's how he met my mother and... that's what killed him... He was on a business trip to Berlin, but the plane crashed in the sea. He was supposed to be back home for Christmas, but he never even set the foot in Europe. We lived in the United-States back then, and my mom decided to move back to England after a while. She couldn't take the USA any more, so we moved here. That's why I lost a year in school. She wasn't home much, so I spent my time not going and had to re-do my year.”

Jack sighed and took the picture back to smile at the photography. He then let his head fall to his chest.

“It was hard for me to keep going,” Jack said, “but I had Gray to take care of. He was only one, so he doesn't remember him. I wish he did, sometimes, but at least he doesn't miss him as much as he could.”

“He doesn't miss him as much as you do,” Ianto said, thinking aloud.

Jack nodded and looked away.

“Anyway, my mom sued the company and she won after long months of trials and restless nights where she would pace and talk to herself... But every year she tries to be away for the anniversary. That's the first time she misses Christmas as well.”

“I didn't know...”

“You couldn't have,” Jack shrugged.

“When you say ten years, is it...” Ianto began, but didn't finish.

“It's ten years today, yeah. So we're pretty loaded, but money never fills the gap he left when he died,” Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes as tears came back.

He took a deep breath, and Ianto smiled in support.

“Were you close to him?” he asked, not knowing what else to do.

“Yeah,” Jack laughed through the tears that were again rolling down his cheeks. “Yeah I was. And it was hard, it was so hard because one day he was there and the next he was... gone. I can still remember the way he laughed, and how he would always make silly, bad jokes... And I'm sorry about today, I had forgotten but I dreamt about him and I remembered...”

“It's okay, I'd rather be with you for this than knowing you went through this alone. I can't really relate to this, but I understand, and you can always come talk to me, I want you to know that,” Ianto said, putting a comforting hand on Jack's arm.

“Aren't you close to your father?”

Ianto closed his eyes and mentally cursed. He didn't really want to talk about his father right now...

“Geographically or as in father-son relationship?” Ianto asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“The most relevant one?”

“I've never been close to him, not that I can remember,” Ianto shrugged.

“What does he do?”

“He's dead, Jack,” Ianto sighed. “It's fine, really. It was a couple of years ago, I really wasn't close to him. He was depressed and distant with me, so I don't miss him.”

“How did he... you know?”

“Suicide,” Ianto explained, knowing he would have to mention his father some day. “He tried once, failed, and tried again. I don't really remember him not depressed, but my sister keeps insisting on the fact that he was a great father. Maybe he was, but I can't remember, and I won't ever see that side of him. I'm glad to see others have better fathers. I'm really fine, I swear, so don't feel sorry or anything.”

“I... okay...” Jack said, still worried.

“Do you want to talk more about your dad?”

“I don't want to...”

“I would like it. I love hearing you talk,” Ianto smiled.

“That sounds nice,” Jack nodded. “Okay.”

Jack stood to turn the light off, and turned the one near is bed on so they wouldn't have to get up again, and sat, taking the little box in his hands.

He started talking, and Ianto listened carefully to everything, laughing along with him sometimes, and happy to see that, indeed, good fathers existed.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 17: Job(s) for money"

Ianto kissed Jack on the forehead and left the flat quickly, running to go to the café he was supposed to help for the weekend. He sent a text to Jack to explain that he was working, where he was working, and when he would be done for the day, and turned his phone off.

He gave a hand when needed to a small café, knowing the owner quite well. It was random, and made little money, but it was better than nothing. It allowed him to save some money for the University's fees, and was the only way for him to avoid a student loan that would take him forever to pay back.

He sometimes envied people like Jack who were born in wealthy families and could afford expensive flats and universities if needed. Ianto had chosen Cardiff so he wouldn't have to rent a flat and could stay at home. But he wasn't sad about it, his mother worked most of the times, and he still saw some of his friends, especially Tosh. And he had met Jack, that was a good thing.

Thinking about this made him think about Jack and what he had admitted the day before, about his dad dying in a plane crash. He shook his head when his mind thought about people drowning and dying at sea, alone, and concentrated on cleaning the table in front of him instead.

Jack had lost his father, just like Ianto had, but he had been close to him. That made Ianto sad. He wished Jack had known his father longer, because seeing him crying was the most heartbreaking thing that Ianto had witnessed.

He cleared his mind from Jack-related thoughts and went back to work, knowing he wouldn't be efficient if he let his mind wander.

He took the train back home when he was done, and didn't do anything expect falling into his bed and going straight to sleep.

 

The next day, he got up for another day at the café and spent the day doing something he liked: coffee, for people. He liked helping out a friend, he loved people's reactions to his coffee, and he earned money for it, so he really didn't mind working, even if he now was on holidays.

He laughed when Jack parked his car in front of the café and honked, two minutes after Ianto was supposed to finish his shift. Ianto looked at the owner, who nodded with a smile, and he left, almost running, to hop in Jack's car.

“I'm starting to think you can't spend a day without me,” he joked as Jack started the car, after briefly kissing him.

“Well, what if I can't?” Jack replied, grinning. “So, ready for tonight?”

“Tonight?” Ianto asked, suddenly afraid. Had he forgotten something?

“Yeah, you're my date for tonight, I'm counting on you,” Jack shrugged, then looked sideways at Ianto.

“What?”

“... I didn't ask you, did I?” Jack said after a few seconds.

“No you didn't,” Ianto said because he clearly had no idea what Jack was talking about.

Jack pulled over and stopped the car, turning to Ianto.

“... Hey,” Jack seductively smiled. “Wanna be my date for tonight?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope,” Jack grinned, and Ianto rolled his eyes. “Seriously, stay home if you don't want to come.”

“That's okay, I'll come. Just... Where the hell are we supposed to go?” Ianto asked, and Jack nervously laughed.

“I feel like a really bad boyfriend for not asking you. There's a party for the end of the mid-term exams and for the holidays, and you have to dress well. Still interested?”

Ianto nodded, ignoring the first sentence about being boyfriends, and Jack started the car again, changing his direction to go to Ianto's house.

“It's way longer by road, let me just take the train,” Ianto protested.

“I like car rides with you,” Jack pouted.

Ianto rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, letting Jack drive him home so he would take some clothes, and warn his mother.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 18: Prom: college/university party"

Jack frowned when he didn't see Ianto. He had just turned for a minute and now he had lost him. He looked around for a moment, and saw Ianto standing near the door, looking nervous. He was wearing a white shirt with a dark tie and waistcoat and a black jacket, and looked truly handsome. Jack smiled, took something to eat, miscalculated the distance, and arrived near Ianto with his mouth still full. He tried to talk but failed and swallowed before he could choke while Ianto was making fun of him.

“Having a good night?” Jack asked as if he hadn't just ridiculed himself.

“There's a lot of people,” Ianto sighed.

“You wanna go out for a while?”

Ianto nodded and Jack smiled, taking his hand and dragging him outside.

“Thanks,” Ianto said as they walked a bit, not going far.

“Don't you like crowds?”

“Not particularly. But it's more of a general feeling. I just... needed some fresh air.”

“Ianto,” Jack said, taking Ianto's arm. Ianto stopped and turned, surprised. “I... I didn't thank you for the other day.”

“It's nothing,” Ianto smiled, shaking his head.

“It's something. It's big, for me. I tend not to mention my father to anyone but... but it felt so good talking about him. Not just explain what happened, but also... All we talked about, you know? It felt good remembering the good moments.”

“I get it,” Ianto said. “You can talk anytime.”

“I know. That's why it's important to me. That's why you're important to me,” Jack said, tightening his hold on Ianto's arm a bit as he tensed.

“Jack, don't...”

“I've tried not to let it happen,” Jack continued, ignoring Ianto's warning. “I've tried not to let you too close, but I failed.”

“You don't need to... Please don't say it,” Ianto shook his head and tried to free himself.

“I love you,” Jack whispered, and Ianto stopped struggling.

Jack's heart was hammering against his chest. He had acknowledged his feelings for Ianto during their exams, and the day after their last exam had just confirmed that he really loved Ianto Jones. And he needed to say it, he needed to be sure that Ianto knew. Not that he looked very happy about it...

Jack pursed his lips, wondering if he hadn't just made the biggest mistake.

“I...” Ianto started, but didn't finish, closing his mouth.

“Oh God, just slap me if you're upset,” Jack sighed.

“No, I'm not...” Ianto said, but didn't finish his sentence again.

“I just wanted to tell you, it seemed important, I don't want it to... stain our relationship. I really like what we have and I didn't think saying this would... I don't know. Please, forget about it?”

“It's not that,” Ianto shook his head. He seemed to struggle inwardly for a moment, then sighed, giving up an invisible fight. “I'm not sure I can say those words back. I totally can but I won't believe in them, not entirely...”

“Oh you... don't love me?” Jack whispered and as much as he wanted to sound fine, he knew his voice broke a bit.

“It's more complicated than just this,” Ianto explained, taking Jack's hands in his. “It just takes me a while to... love. And, er, I'm not really good at telling it. I might show it a lot but... The words are precious to me, you know? I don't mind you telling them but I want you to know than I might not say them back, not because I don't believe them, but because it's hard for me to tell them. And I don't want it to become like a greeting, I always want them to mean something... I'm sorry that's stupid.”

Jack tightened his hands when he felt that Ianto was going to let him go. He pulled at his arms, bringing Ianto closer to him, but Ianto kept avoiding his gaze.

“No it's not,” Jack smiled. “I just thought you didn't want that and would tell me to back off...”

Ianto looked up suddenly and Jack's only thought was to kiss him. They passionately kissed, but slowly, exploring the other's mouth as if they hadn't already done it before. When they parted, Ianto sighed and put his head on Jack's shoulder, putting his arms around his neck. Jack smiled and kissed his hair, resting his own hands on Ianto's back.

“Thank you,” Ianto whispered against his ear. “I like when you say it. I just won't say it back as often as you'd wish.”

“Don't force yourself, I'd rather hear it sometimes but know that you genuinely think it than learning you didn't mean half of the times you said it after some time. And it's kinda cute to think like this.”

Ianto scoffed in his neck and kissed him again.

“Actually,” Jack said. “I kinda think the same thing. I just felt like telling you now. But now I feel like what you've said is what I feel. Does that sound weird?”

“No,” Ianto chuckled. “Not at all. Sort of reassuring, in a way.”

“Should we go back in and show them how people should dance?” Jack smiled.

“I don't know if you're a decent dancer,” Ianto said, faking hesitation.

“Neither do I, so let's find out more about each other, shall we?”

They parted and Jack offered his arm. Ianto shook his head, amused, and took his hand instead, dragging him back in.

* * *

 

“I didn't think you could really dance,” Jack whispered in Ianto's ear.

They had danced for a while, enjoying themselves more than earlier in the night, and now were swaying slowly because what was a party without a calm moment?

“I want you,” Ianto simply replied.

“Same here,” Jack chuckled.

“Really. I mean, properly. I want to be inside you,” Ianto whispered in Jack's ear and damn, that was some hot thing to do.

“What makes you think it'll be this way?” Jack smiled. When Ianto gave his best “oh really?” look, Jack rolled his eyes. “All right.”

“I want to feel you around me,” Ianto continued, ignoring Jack's intervention.

“Wow. Huh... Back to mine?” Jack managed to say in a breath, finding it suddenly difficult to correctly and naturally breathe.

“Sure,” Ianto nodded.

“Can we just wait? Like, a couple of minutes? There are things you shouldn't tell me when you're so close to me.”

“I know, I can feel,” Ianto said, kissing Jack's neck just to tease him.

“Ah... Sorry.”

“I'm in the same case.”

“Oh so it wasn't your phone?” Jack joked.

Ianto chuckled, then went silence to wait.

“Right,” Jack said after a while. “I don't think it'll work, I'm thinking about it too much.”

“Well, it's dark, there aren't a lot of people left... And I have my jacket and you have your coat. I'm sure we can hide away any embarrassing physical situation.”

“Having a hard-on is the physical situation?”

“Yeah, that would be it,” Ianto rolled his eyes. “Can we go?”

“Someone's eager,” Jack smiled.

“Aren't you?”

Jack lost his smile and nodded, then they finally parted to go out quickly and go back to Jack's.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 19: Dream"

Ianto opened his eyes, the sun once again awaking him. He didn't mind waking up early, even when he could sleep all day, so he hadn't even said to Jack that the sun was preventing him from sleeping.

It was welcomed in winter, though. Not that Jack's flat was cold, it was almost overheated, actually, but the sun on Ianto's face still was pleasant.

He closed his eyes again, noticing how well he had slept. It didn't happen a lot, he usually slept well for a few hours but then awoke in the middle of the night and either stared at his ceiling or went back to dream about awful, unpleasant things. This time had just been pleasant. But he didn't usually fall asleep after good sex, maybe exhaustion had helped.

Remembering how he had spent the night before, he smiled for himself and opened his eyes again, rolling on his back to stare at Jack next to him.

He was still asleep, his hair a mess on the pillow, and he still had his arm on Ianto. Ianto looked at him for a while, then stared at his smile. He had a small smile, but a genuine one. His expression was so much different from the one Ianto remembered from the night before, when Jack had come in his hand.

He pushed the thoughts away, realising it wasn't a great idea to think about the night before with Jack naked but still asleep next to him.

Ianto sighed and closed his eyes again, thinking about what Jack had said. The words Ianto had dread, the “I love you” he hadn't returned. But Jack hadn't minded, he hadn't said it three times, waiting for Ianto to answer. He hadn't said it even twice, actually. Ianto had explained, and Jack had understood. He had accepted him, and Ianto felt his heart melting at the thought. Jack was so nice, he was so perfect, that Ianto came to wonder if it wasn't all a dream. It felt too real to be a dream but at the same time completely unreal.

“Daydreaming is bad for your health,” Jack's voice said after a while.

Ianto opened his eyes again, smiling instantly when he stared into two deep blue eyes.

“Is it?”

“I have no idea,” Jack laughed and kissed him.

Ianto playfully kept his mouth shut until Jack growled of frustration and Ianto opened his mouth because he was laughing. He stopped quickly, responding to Jack's kiss eagerly. Jack pulled back after a while and rested his forehead against Ianto's, catching his breath.

“You are a sight to wake up to,” Jack said and leaned on to kiss Ianto's neck this time.

“That means you have eyes and can see, that's a great sign! I thought you were blind for a while,” Ianto laughed.

Jack stopped and straightened, looking at Ianto in confusion. Ianto rolled his eyes and ran his hands on Jack's shoulders, then his hair.

“I was only joking,” Ianto smiled. “How are you feeling, anyway?”

“Fine, why?” Jack frowned.

Ianto rolled them over to be on top of Jack and took an excessive long time to think, even if he knew already what he was going to say.

“I don't know, it was my first time,” he eventually shrugged, kissing Jack on the lips.

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, _that._ ”

“I feel fine! You did a good prep... And it was great, don't worry.”

“I gathered,” Ianto sighed, kissing him again.

“What do you mean?” Jack frowned, talking as if Ianto wasn't on top of him, looking damn hot and kissing him regularly.

“You talk,” Ianto said, pecking Jack's lips once more. “A lot,” he added with another kiss.

“I thought you liked it,” Jack pouted. Another kiss from Ianto.

“It's a turn-off,” Ianto said, continuing his kisses.

“Some before liked this.”

“Mentioning your other partners in sex while we're like this is another turn-off,” Ianto said, not kissing Jack this time.

Jack straightened a bit to try to reach Ianto's mouth, but Ianto pinned Jack's hands to the bed, effectively preventing him from straightening too far up.

“You don't seem really turned off,” Jack replied, raising an eyebrow and looking down at Ianto's crotch.

“Yeah, well,” Ianto started. “You're in no better position,” he ended, knowing his argument was very bad. But he kissed Jack to make him forget about it.

“Actually, I quite like my position right now, I don't really--”

Ianto cut him off by kissing him again.

“You talk too much,” Ianto said as an explanation when Jack looked at him in puzzlement, making Jack laugh.

Ianto realised that all that was happening to him wasn't a dream, but was very real. Only in reality could he date that annoying guy. Jack would be much less flawed in a dream, but that was part of why he liked him. Maybe even loved him. He probably loved him.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 20: Food/Chocolate eating"

“That's it, I'm full,” Ianto said along with a deep sigh. “One more bite and I die.”

“It was very good, Ma'am,” Jack smiled at Ianto's mother.

“Did you like the dessert? I thought maybe I could do it for Christmas. A dessert with chocolate is always a good thing for Christmas. And I was thinking about buying some foie gras, for once. Do you think you could find a cheap one in Cardiff, Ianto?”

“Oh God, Mum, stop talking about food seriously, I'm gonna vomit.”

“Ianto, we're still at the table,” his mother warned him.

“Right. Sorry. But please make a list and we'll see tomorrow? Now is not the moment to talk about this,” Ianto smiled, patting his belly with a pout. “I will gain weight again with all this.”

“I'm sure you're as cute as you are now if you get chubby.” Jack chuckled.

“Hey, my son's always cute, remember that!” Ianto's mother said, ruffling her son's hair.

He protested but smiled, glad to see that his mother and his boyfriend got along well.

“Aren't you growing tired of each other?” She asked, smiling.

“No, we're fine,” Ianto shrugged.

“That's great. Take care, then. And I'll give you the list soon.”

“Mum,” Ianto said, rubbing his neck.

“Yup?”

“Can he... Can Jack stay for the night? We'll go in Cardiff tomorrow to buy everything needed at the Christmas market.”

“You still find things to discuss about even when you're constantly together? I mean, you probably don't always talk...”

“Mum!” Ianto exclaimed, horrified of where this conversation could go.

“Sorry. Yeah, sure, be our guest!”

“Thank you, Ma'am,” Jack smiled.

“I trust you to get your bedroom ready yourself?” She asked Ianto who nodded, then took Jack's hand to drag him to his bedroom, kissing his mother on the cheek before going up.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 21: Christmas town"

“Tosh, I'm not buying this,” Ianto grunted.

His friend insisted, and eventually paid for the thing herself.

“I hate you,” he mumbled when they walked away from the stall.

“Oh come on, he'll like it,” Tosh laughed, hitting him on the shoulder.

He ignored her and turned his head to the side, then smiled when they arrived to another stall that also sold chocolate.

“What are you thinking about?” Tosh asked, eating the chocolate they had just purchased.

“They say this one melts easily...” Ianto said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, so?”

“I'm sure he'll like this one better...” Ianto grinned, winking at Tosh.

“Why would he... Oh God, Ianto, are you thinking about what I think you're thinking?”

“It depends, does it involve chocolate?”

“Obviously, yeah! And Jack, and you, and naked Jack and you! And chocolate!”

“You perverted mind!” Ianto exclaimed, his hand on his heart as if Tosh had said the most absurd thing ever.

“... What were you thinking about?” Tosh asked, suddenly unsure.

“The exact same thing,” he smiled broadly and bought something before Tosh could react.

She pinched him in the back while he was talking to the seller, and it took him a lot of self-control not to laugh or turn to her.

 

When they met Jack again, they all had new bags, but they still continued the market.

“Ianto, aren't you forgetting something?” Tosh asked with insistence after a few metres.

Ianto blushed and Jack frowned.

“Did you forget something from your list?”

“No,” Ianto grumbled.

Jack threw a concerned look at Tosh who smiled innocently, then back at Ianto who stopped and fumbled in his pockets, muttering something that none of his friends heard.

“Here,” Ianto said, giving something quickly to Jack and looking away, hiding his face in his scarf.

It was stupid, and he hated Tosh for this.

Jack laughed when he looked down at his hand and saw a chocolate lollipop in it. A heart-shaped chocolate lollipop. He looked at Tosh who winked at him, then took a step towards Ianto who still refused to meet his gaze.

“Well, I do love chocolate,” Jack grinned, and tilted his head.

Ianto rolled his eyes and stopped hiding behind his scarf to let Jack finish what he wanted to do. They kissed briefly and Jack smiled widely when they parted, taking Ianto's hand in his and putting his other arm around Tosh's shoulders.

“Christmas shopping with you is fun,” he grinned and started to walk again, both his friends following as they could.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 22: Bag snatching"

Ianto rubbed his neck and stopped to window shop a bit. He sighed when he saw the prices and chose to ignore them but still looked at the articles. He then turned to leave, but someone bumped into him. He steadied himself with his hands against the window, and only after letting his breath go did he realise he had _both_ his hands against the window.

He turned suddenly, but the bag he had been holding was long gone.

“Shit,” he said. “Fuck, fuck...”

Ianto ran in the direction the man that had bumped into him took, and found someone casually walking with the exact same bag he had been carrying a few seconds earlier. He didn't call the man, but ran for his life to him, and put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Hey! That's my bag,” Ianto said, his other hand going to the bag.

The man turned suddenly and punched him in the face without warning, sending him to the floor, mainly because of the surprise. When Ianto turned on his back again, the man was long gone. He still got back on his feet but there was no sign of anyone with his bag, and the streets were totally empty. He swore again and gripped his hair, thinking, then kicked the snow on the ground. He had been carrying the most expensive object he owned – his computer – and of course someone just had to snatch it away from him.

He wiped his nose, noticing it was bleeding, and took a deep breath. He couldn't panic, alone in the street. Shit.

Ianto took his phone out of his pocket and dialled the first number that came across his screen, his hands shaking.

“Jack!” He exclaimed before Jack could talk.

“Gray! That's not yours!” Ianto heard Jack's distant voice said, and tears started to run on his cheeks. “Sorry, Gray was playing with my phone and... Anyway, how are things?”

“Jack, I... I need a ride home, or some money, please,” Ianto said, biting his thumb. He hated asking for money.

“What happened?”

“I was just in town, I went to the library a while, Cardiff's library's bigger than in Newport, you know? I was just checking some books, and working a bit on my computer, doing researches and...”

“Ianto, slow down,” Jack said. “Where are you? What happened, exactly?”

“Fuck... I don't know, okay?! I just... Someone just took my bag and... shit, I'm sorry, I'll just go home,” Ianto said, pressing the palm of his hand against his eye to stop crying. This was stupid, so stupid.

“Wait!” Jack exclaimed. “Don't move. Or go to my flat. You know the way from where you are, Ianto?”

“Yeah, I... I think...” Ianto said, Jack's voice calming him a bit. He started to walk towards Jack's flat, his phone still against his ear. “I'm sorry I didn't mean to...”

“It's okay, just come by, we'll talk there, okay? I'll put a movie for Gray. Some Christmas movie to busy him. Do you think he'd like _Love Actually_? It's a classic. Should I make his culture?”

Ianto chuckled nervously, knowing Jack was talking only so Ianto would think of something else that what had just happened. It only took Ianto ten minutes to make it to Jack's flat, and he hung up when he entered the passcode to the front door. He looked at himself in the mirror in the lift and cursed when he saw he had blood everywhere on the lower part of his face, and his hand wasn't in a better state.

Before he could try to do anything about it, the lift-doors opened and Jack was waiting for him, his eyes opening wide when he saw him.

“What the hell, Ianto?!”

“I'm sorry...”

“Stop fucking apologizing and come here,” Jack exclaimed, pulling him in a tight hug.

They stood there for a moment, Ianto holding a bit too tightly Jack's shirt. Eventually, Jack took his hand and dragged him into his flat in silence.

“Gray,” Jack said as soon as they entered. “We'll be busy for a while, just be a good boy, okay? Chocolate's in the kitchen's drawer, close to the fridge.”

Gray waved his hand at Ianto and nodded at Jack's orders. He turned to walk to the sofa, but Jack and Ianto disappeared before he had made even two steps.

“What happened?” Jack asked when they were in the bathroom, the door locked behind them.

He indicated Ianto to sit on the floor and took a wet cloth and bandages and a lot of things Ianto knew were unnecessary. He sat on the floor in front of him and Ianto leaned on so it was easier for Jack to clean his face up.

“I was just... looking at some shop, and that guy pushed me. I realised he had taken my bag and he wasn't running or anything, so much self-confidence... I thought I could convince him to give it back, it was fucking stupid... He hit me and... that's it... Fuck it's so lame, what am I gonna do...”

Ianto started to cry again, having forgotten about his misadventure with Jack taking care of him like this. Jack shook his head as he was wiping the blood away from his hand.

“It's not stupid, computers are fucking expensive, and you just got attacked... I wish I'd been here... I'm sorry it happened to you, especially at that time of the year, it's supposed to be happy...”

“I fucking hate Christmas,” Ianto sobbed.

“It was an old computer wasn't it?” Jack tried to reassure Ianto.

“Yeah, but... Everything I had on it... It's just gone...”

“... Maybe not everything. Remember when you brought it here? I took some files from your computer, and it was so long that you went through my DVDs to pick one? Well, I might have copied some other files on my computer...”

“You did what?” Ianto asked, a bit as a reproach.

“I didn't look at them! But you looked damn cute in the miniature picture... I thought... I don't really know, I just did, okay?”

Ianto sighed and took Jack's cloth away from him to clean Jack's face. Hugging someone who had blood on his face hadn't been a smart move.

“I guess that's already something,” Ianto said.

Jack gave a small smile, then took Ianto's hands in his. “Are you okay? Like should I call someone in case you go in shock or something?” he suddenly asked.

“I'm fine, Jack. It's not the first time someone hits me,” he said with a smile, then realised that maybe it wasn't very reassuring. “I'm okay, really. I'm just... sorry for rushing here when you're with your brother. But I didn't know what...”

“It's okay,” Jack shushed him with a kiss to the lips. “We weren't doing anything, and my door's always opened for you. Among other things,” he added with a wink.

Ianto laughed at the pun, then kissed Jack again. When their tongues met, Jack pulled back, wincing.

“What's wrong?” Ianto asked, a bit hurt by the movement.

“Nothing. I mean, you probably should drink something 'cause blood isn't that big of a turn-on,” Jack said with a pout. “And I rather like kissing you...”

Ianto smiled and got on his feet, rinsing his mouth quickly. Jack kissed him only to prove that everything was fine, or just for the sake of kissing him, then nodded in agreement with himself.

He gathered his stuff from the ground and tidied the room quickly, Ianto watching him with a look of fondness. When Jack was done, he looked at Ianto and froze. They stared at each other for some time, until Jack reached out, putting a hand on Ianto's shoulder.

“What is it?” he asked, concern in his voice, moving closer to Ianto.

Ianto glanced at the wall, then back at Jack with, he knew, vulnerable eyes. Eyes that expressed a lot. Things Ianto would never admit. Things he was afraid of. But also something he knew for sure now.

“I... I love you,” he whispered, and for once in his life, it didn't feel forced, it didn't feel hard for him to say it. It was what he deeply thought and wanted to say.

He loved Jack, and the fact punched him the guts just like the words seemed to have the same effect on Jack. Ianto didn't know why now, why he even said it in the bathroom, after being attacked, after his computer had been stolen, with a child on the other room... But he needed to express it now, or he knew he probably wouldn't.

“I...” Jack started, then chuckled. “Blimey, I didn't think it would affect me that way...”

“I--” Ianto said, but Jack cut him by cupping his face and kissing him.

They stumbled with the force their lips met with, and Ianto had to steady himself with a blind hand against the wall, his eyes closed and all his attention brought on kissing Jack. It was desperate, messy, and almost hurt Ianto – maybe the punch hadn't been so benign – but they didn't care and held onto each other for dear life, snogging as if they would never kiss anyone in their life again. Their tongues battled to win, but eventually danced together, and their hands soon reached for buttons to undo or zips to unfasten. As Ianto was pulling Jack's shirt out of his trousers, someone knocked at the door. They froze as one man.

“Jackie Chan, I wanna pee!” Gray said through the door.

Jack tensed against Ianto as Ianto burst out laughing.

“Fuck,” Jack mumbled against Ianto's ear. “A second, Gray!”

They flattened their clothes and put back what they had undone quickly, then opened the door. Gray almost ran in, and shoved them out of the bathroom then closed the door. Jack turned to Ianto, who exploded again and laughed despite himself.

“What?” Jack asked, pretending to not understand what was so funny.

“Jackie Chan?” Ianto laughed.

“There's a very good explanation to this...” Jack sighed.

“I'm sure there is. But not knowing is hilarious!”

“Okay, we loved the animated series and I once tried to imitate him, so Gray calls me like this since then,” Jack grumbled.

Ianto laughed again. “Never mind, this is even funnier!”

“I hate you,” Jack mumbled as they walked to Jack's bedroom.

“No you don't,” Ianto smiled.

Jack tucked his tongue out to Ianto who laughed and kissed him.

“I should go,” Ianto sighed.

“How much do you need?” Jack asked, taking his wallet from his bag.

“Just enough for the train...” Ianto said, his face losing its amusement.

For a moment, he had forgotten about his computer and wallet being stolen.

“Did you have much?” Jack asked and handed the money to Ianto.

“Just a few quids, my ID and the library's card. Fuck, the train card too... That shit's expensive,” Ianto replied, realising he would have to take from his economy to buy a new one.

He still had to ask what happened if the card was stolen, maybe he didn't have to pay everything again. But he still had to buy a computer, that was going to cost a lot. Maybe one of his grand-parents would grow abruptly generous and lend him some money. Probably not, but he could always hope.

He knew going to the police would only be a waste of time, and his computer was too protected to be a threat for his personal life, but too old for it to be essential.

He kissed Jack again to thank him then hurried back home.

He felt bad for losing his computer, of course, but he also felt so good for having told Jack that he loved him. He knew he wouldn't say it a lot, at least not for now, and maybe that was why it felt so special and great.

He still had this computer problem, though.

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 23: Electricity cut"

Ianto smiled as his mother crouched, the plug in her hands. They had waited to light the Christmas lights on to save some electricity, but now, on the 23th of December, they thought they could light them on.

“Let there be light!” she exclaimed, and Ianto watched with amazement as the light went on... then darkness fell on the room “… Shit.”

Ianto had come to the same conclusion. He took his phone from his pocket and turned the flash-light on.

“Is it only us or the whole neighbourhood?” he asked, looking through the window. It seemed to be only them.

“I think we did a mistake,” his mother whispered, as if talking louder would make things worse.

“I'll take a look,” Ianto sighed and checked the fuse box, noticing that one of the fuses had melted.

He came back to the living room and unplugged the Christmas lights, then back in front of the fuse box to change what needed to be changed. The power came back quickly after.

“I think there are too many things plugged in,” Ianto said as he went back to his mother. “We should turn the lights off, and anything else we can.”

“I don't remember this happening before?”

“We changed the dishwasher in the meantime, it probably asks for more power than before,” Ianto shrugged.

“Thank you, Ianto,” his mother smiled and hugged him.

He smiled back and kissed her forehead then did everything needed so no leads would break any more. The smile on his mother's face when the Christmas lights finally worked was worth the effort.

 


	24. Chapter 24

Ianto was in his pyjamas when the doorbell rang. He had his feet up the coffee table and his mother's feet were on his legs. They exchanged a look, wondering who it might be. When both shrugged, Ianto's mother moved her feet from Ianto's legs, but otherwise didn't move. Ianto pouted but stood up anyway and walked lazily to the door.

“Surprise!” A child's voice said when he opened the door.

Ianto only looked at the adult holding a big gift. Actually two gifts, holding them so it would hide his face. But Ianto knew those hands by heart, and, well, he only had to look at the child to guess who the man was, really.

“Jackie Chan,” Ianto smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“Stop with that nickname already. And, well, Gray just explained. Go on Gray, again,” Jack laughed behind the gifts.

“Surprise!” Gray repeated joyfully, and Ianto laughed.

“Well, come in,” Ianto said, because he was freezing, and wasn't going to let Jack and Gray alone outside. “Mum!” he called while Gray entered politely, taking his winter cap off.

Jack slowly entered, trying to blindly walk with the gifts he refused to give to Ianto. Not yet, anyway. When he finally had both feet in the house, and the door closed behind him, he turned to kiss Ianto.

“You shouldn't have,” Ianto whispered.

“I know, but I wanted to. And it's hard to keep Gray busy all day long,” Jack winked at him. “And, honestly? I kinda missed you.”

“And who is this handsome kid?” Ianto's mother exclaimed as she saw Gray.

Gray laughed and presented himself, then Jack greeted her with his perfect grin. She told them to install themselves, and turned to Ianto who sighed.

“Was it planned?”

“Not at all... Do you mind?” Ianto shrugged.

“Oh no, they're sweet! We didn't have anything to do today anyway,” she smiled.

Ianto nodded and disappeared quickly in his bedroom to put on some clean jeans and a pink shirt. When he came back, Gray was looking at all the Christmas lights, and Jack was talking with Ianto's mother.

They talked for a while, then Gray got impatient and asked for the two Joneses to open their gifts, which he had apparently helped wrap – even though Jack shook his head when he said this so it wasn't necessarily the truth. They still opened them, Jack offering tickets for an opera ballet to Ianto's mother who thanked him with a bone-crushing hug.

When Ianto unwrapped his, he almost put the paper back to hand it back to Jack, but Gray didn't give him much choice as he ripped the paper off. His mother gasped, and Ianto didn't react, staring at Jack who challenged him to say anything.

“I... I can't,” he still said, and Jack shook his head.

“If you don't take it I'm throwing it away,” Jack smiled.

Ianto looked down at the brand-new computer Jack had bought for him, and felt like something was putting too much pressure on his chest. It was overwhelming and weird. He felt so happy that he had trouble breathing.

“That's too nice of you, Jack,” Ianto's mother said.

“It's my pleasure. I mean, I talk to Ianto thanks to Internet too, that's a win-win situation!” Jack grinned. “I took something simple, close to what you had.”

Ianto put the unpacked computer down – more like in Gray's arms – and stood to sit next to Jack and hug him. He kissed his neck, blushing because they were in front of Ianto's mother and Jack's brother, and thanked him a few times.

“You should get your gifts,” Ianto's mother said, and Ianto pulled back from the hug, nodding.

He jogged to his bedroom, ran his hand on his face and his hair, taking a deep breath, and pulled two small – tiny – gifts from his wardrobe. He came back with a smile, even if inwardly he was both crying and jumping of joy. He gave the biggest gift to Gray, an action figurine he had bought thanks to his mother – who had had a little boy to satisfy for a few Christmases – and the smallest to Jack.

“It's just some old stopwatch,” Ianto explained when Jack opened his gift.

“It's not just some old stopwatch,” his mother cut in. “It was Ianto's father, and it has Ianto's initials inscribed on the back. He got it made for Ianto's birth.”

“Oh. Wow,” Jack said, turning the stopwatch to look at the initials, impressed at how good it looked after all these years. “Are you sure you don't want to keep it?”

Ianto's mother turned to Gray who was playing with his recent gift. Ianto nodded.

“It's of no use to me, I want you to have it.”

They smiled at each other and Jack looked at the stopwatch again.

“It's beautiful,” he whispered.

“We'll let you alone for a while, boys,” Ianto's mother said, holding one of Gray's hands. He had his cap back on his head and his heavy coat on. “We'll play outside in the snow for a while,” she smiled.

When the door closed behind them, Ianto looked at it absently.

“There's more to it than what she told,” Jack's voice snapped him back to reality.

“What?”

“The stopwatch.”

“Oh,” Ianto said. “Yeah. It's the only good memory I have with my father. Him offering me this stopwatch. That was before depression hit him and everything.”

“Ianto, why are you giving me this? It means too much,” Jack shook his head and handed the stopwatch back.

“Because I... Don't make me say it, Jack,” Ianto sighed, looking away.

“I know, and I'm not. But this is the only good memory you have of your father...”

“Yes. And I want you to have it, because you're the best damned thing that happened in my life since he killed himself, you're the best thing that happened since he got into depression, and I feel like that by giving you this, I give you more than I ever gave someone, and it's important for me because I want you to... I don't know,” Ianto concluded, tears threatening to fall on his cheeks.

“It's okay, I accept it,” Jack smiled, pulling Ianto into a hug.

“You're crazy,” Ianto mumbled against his shoulder.

“You're keeping the computer anyway,” Jack replied.

Ianto rolled his eyes then pulled back, taking Jack's hand.

“I have something else, but couldn't quite show it to everyone,” Ianto smiled.

“Oh, is it kinky?”

“Completely,” he shrugged, and Jack gasped.

“Ianto Jones, you are full of surprises!”

Ianto stopped and turned to wink at him, then took another gift from a drawer and gave it to Jack, sitting on his bed while Jack opened it.

“Oh so you understood I liked chocolate?” Jack laughed as he saw the gift.

Ianto nodded and grinned. “The seller assured me it melted easily.”

Jack looked at him, then thought for a few seconds until everything clicked together. He opened his mouth, and closed it, and swallowed hard as he looked at Ianto from toe to head.

“When?” Jack asked, his voice a bit too high. He coughed.

“Whenever you're free and that Gray isn't in the same building.”

“I can find someone to babysit him for the 26th. I know some people who would gladly take him in for the night.”

“The 26th it is then,” Ianto smiled.

“I can't wait,” Jack said, looking once more at the chocolate he was holding then Ianto, and licking his lips in anticipation.

Ianto laughed and stood to kiss him, then got out of the room. Jack managed to hide the extra gift in his bag before Ianto's mother came back with Gray.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't make any notes at the end of each chapter, but I don't have much to say, especially not everyday, so I just updated.
> 
> But now, I just wanted to say merry Christmas to everyone, I'll say it the 25th too, but I also wanted to thank you for your support! Don't forget comments are what make a writer write sometimes :)


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 25: Christmas!"
> 
> Merry Christmas to you all! I hope it was good and that you spent a good time :) Thank you for reading me!

Gray jumping on Jack's bed awoke him early on the 25th. Jack groaned and complained and put the sheet on his face, put his little brother didn't care and pulled the sheet away, taking it entirely off the bed. Freezing, Jack tried to cuddle with his pillow, but it was too cold, and Gray was too excited, so he stood. After a few seconds to really wake up, he pretended to be still half asleep to approach Gray slowly, then burst into action and lifted his brother from the ground to throw him on the bed and attack him with the worst torture ever – tickles.

Gray laughed and tried to kick Jack off him vainly, until he asked for a break because he couldn't breathe, tears running down his cheeks. Jack gave him, but then Gray betrayed him and tried to free himself and run away, so Jack resumed his tickles.

When they both grew tired of it, they stopped and caught their breath, then stood to have a huge breakfast in front of the telly. Then Gray got really impatient and asked for the gifts, and Jack laughed, giving him because he couldn't really resist him.

He seemed really happy with their mother's gift, the brand-new PlayStation, and Jack's gifts which completed his mother's as he had bought a few video games he was sure Gray would love. Gray gave him a little something, which was unusual, and Jack smiled when he saw a beautiful silver bracelet. He thanked his brother by ruffling his hair, then put the gift on his wrist, and concentrated on the complicated installation of the game console – it wasn't complicated but Gray was so impatient that Jack wanted to give up.

They played for most of the day, ate at past three in the afternoon, and spent more time playing. They stopped for dinner and watched a movie in front of which Gray fell asleep, so Jack carried him to his guest room.

He tried to watch TV a bit more but started to doze off as well, and went to his own bedroom to fall on his bed. He texted Ianto for a while, a silly smile on his face, then picked up his phone when his mother called him.

“Hi,” Jack said, tired.

“Hey sweetheart, how are you?” Jack's mother replied, clearly smiling.

“Fine. How's California?”

“Sunny,” she chuckled.

“Obviously. When are you coming back again?”

“Tomorrow, late. I'll take some hotel for the night and pick Gray the day after, in the afternoon.”

“Okay,” Jack sighed.

“Can I talk to him?”

“He's already sleeping.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost midnight, mom.”

“Oh, sorry, I miscalculated...”

“It's okay, you'll see him soon.”

“So how was today?”

“We stayed in, watched some movie on the TV, played for a bit. He loved your gift! But he was tired so he went to sleep early. How was yours?”

Jack listened absently, not really listening to his mother. They didn't have a bad relationship, but it was almost as if they didn't really have one at all. They get along well, but since Jack's father had died, they didn't talk much, they didn't take part in the other's life that much, and they probably saw each other just because Gray was here. Jack couldn't explain why, but somehow his father's death had distanced them.

It shouldn't have, but his mother had refused to accept that her husband was dead, and Jack had had to take care of Gray for a long time, alone, and he had only been ten. Jack didn't mind, but things hadn't gotten better and they had never really bonded again. It was fine, because they weren't yelling at each other, but sometimes Jack missed his father even more because part of his mother had died with him.

They ended the call soon and Jack fell asleep thinking, for a dreamless night.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 26: Sleep over/cleaning up"

“Did you party in here?” Jack first question was when he entered Ianto's house with a sleeping Gray in his arms.

Ianto smiled innocently and his mother shrugged.

“Just come in, I'll be quick,” Ianto smiled.

Jack put Gray on the couch, and helped the reduced family to clean the place up.

“What actually happened?” Jack asked after a while.

“Well,” Ianto explained. “We forgot that a fuse melted if we didn't unplug the dishwasher, except that it's hard to do, and we could have unplugged other things, but, honestly? We were too lazy. So the house went black and I couldn't find my phone again, and, well... I had to go blind there.”

“Are you fine?”

“Yeah, we just have to buy new fuses for next time... And maybe stop using those Christmas lights,” Ianto laughed. “Oh, and we tasted some whiskey, and maybe we drank a bit too much.”

His mother nodded with a smile, and Jack looked shocked. Drinking with his mother wasn't something he would ever do, but being drunk with his mother? Was it really a thing? He smiled when they talked about their Christmas Day, mentioning what they had done – mainly lazily watching TV, but also going out in the snow – and Ianto's mother showed her son's gift with more pride than needed.

It was a book she had read when she was a child but had never found again, just because she had completely forgotten the title or the author. It hadn't been easy for Ianto to find it again, but hours on the internet and the library had helped him.

Ianto had received a black jacket from her mother, and he loved it. He was wearing it inside, even if it wasn't that cold, and Jack had to admit, it looked good on him.

He helped them clean the place up, then kissed Gray's forehead, the boy still sleeping, and joined them in the kitchen.

“Thanks for keeping Gray,” Jack said.

He had found someone to keep him, but then Ianto had said that her mother would be glad to do so, and he had accepted. She truly looked happy about it, saying it would remind her when Ianto was younger, and told the two boys to enjoy their time alone.

Ianto thanked his mother and kissed her on the cheek, then threw his bag on his shoulder and followed Jack outside.

“So,” Jack said once in the car. “I'll come and take Gray pretty early, and give you a ride so my mom'll spend the day with us then take Gray back home. We were thinking about going to the karaoke night tomorrow, are you interested?”

“What, in me embarrassedly singing in front of your mother? No thanks.”

“Oh no, the we was for friends, not family! Tosh threw the idea the other day.”

“Why have I not been informed?”

“She said you hated karaoke.”

“Yeah, well, yes I do.”

“So, will you come?”

“We'll talk about it later,” Ianto said, turning the volume of the music up.

Jack laughed, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Does your promise still stand?” he asked over the music.

“I've never promised anything,” Ianto shrugged, beating his foot at the rhythm of the music.

He soon moved his head and his fingers, and Jack looked sideways at him, smiling when he saw how happy Ianto looked.

“The one that involved my Christmas gift,” Jack said after a while.

Ianto froze and frowned, turning to Jack. “Did I say we'd do anything with the stopwatch?” he asked.

Jack burst out laughing. “No, I don't really see what you could do with a stopwatch.”

“Oh, lots of things,” Ianto smiled.

“... Right. Please don't say anything more, I'm driving.”

“Yeah, sorry. And don't worry, I didn't forget. So who will eat on who?” Ianto grinned from his seat.

“It's my gift,” Jack pouted.

“Precisely. So who? You get to decide. Think about it,” Ianto said in a low voice.

And Jack thought about it. He had pictured Ianto sprawled on his bed, with a line of hot chocolate on him, waiting for Jack to lick it away, but now that Ianto mentioned it, he also liked the idea of lying on the bed and waiting for Ianto to do the same. He loved the fact that Ianto was topping more than the other way around.

He tightened his hands on the steering wheel and concentrated on the road.

“How about we wait until we're home, safe, and we think about this?”

“Too late for me thinking about it,” Ianto pouted, and looked at Jack intensively. “And you too apparently.”

“Okay, can we just stop talking about that? I don't want to die in a car accident.”

“Right,” Ianto nodded. “How's your mother?”

Well, that calmed Jack's desire instantly, at least.

“Fine, I guess?” he answered. “Shit, that's a big turn-off...”

“I know, parents work really good for this,” Ianto laughed.

They made it to Cardiff without dying, and enjoyed the night they had.

In the end, Jack even got both pictures he had in mind when they felt that they could do with a second round.

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 27: Karaoke"

“I wanna hear you sing,” Jack laughed, pulling Ianto back against the sheets.

“I don't sing,” Ianto rolled his eyes. He then threw his head back when Jack kissed his neck.

“You sure got some nice low voice in bed,” Jack said against his skin.

“I won't sing,” Ianto still said, even with Jack trying to distract him.

Jack didn't answer, too busy with kissing Ianto, trying to enjoy every minute he had with Ianto before Gray returned to his flat.

 

In the end, Ianto did come. He didn't sing, or at least not before he'd had a few drinks and the promise of a good snog from Jack. He chose a duet with Tosh, because she was the only one he was comfortable enough with. It started as a joke, partly because he was drunk, then he gave everything he had, and his friends looked way too happy when they ended the song.

As promised, Jack kissed him when he came back to them, and instead of sitting in his own seat, Ianto took place on Jack's laps. They weren't talking only to each other, or kissing every two minutes, Ianto just was on his laps and they kept talking to their friends.

Ianto sang again, and again, and Jack eventually had to drag him by the shirt so he would stop, making everyone laugh.

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 28: Sick at home"

“Ianto, are you okay? I didn't hear you go home last night?” Ianto's mother asked when her son walked in the living-room.

He groaned, which hurt his throat, and slumped in the couch, taking his head in his hands.

“What happened?”

“I...” Ianto started, then coughed.

He shook his head, his throat burning, and took his phone out. He sent a text to his mother who frowned and rolled her eyes.

“ _We sang last night and I can't speak._ ” She laughed aloud then apologized innocently.

“Well you know the treatment! Tea and honey,” she smiled. Ianto threw a horrified look at her. “Yes I know you don't like honey, but it works.”

He sighed and nodded, and she disappeared in the kitchen. Ianto unlocked his phone and opened his conversation with Jack.

“ _Never again._ ”

“ _You do have a nice voice_ ”

“ _I don't have a voice at all now!_ ”

“ _How come?_ ”

“ _I don't know, I'm sick._ ”

“ _Oh, do you want a magic hug?_ ”

“ _Fuck you, Jack_ ”

“ _I'd rather have you for that ;)_ ”

“Is Jack fine?” Ianto's mother voice cut him and he slammed the phone against his chest.

He nodded while his mother burst out laughing and put a big cup of tea in front of him, along with honey. He sighed and put his phone away, listening to his mother and putting honey in his tea, pulling a face. He hoped it would work.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 29: Snowing outside"

“My mum will kill me if she knows I'm here,” Ianto sighed.

“You're not far from your house, it's okay,” Tosh shrugged.

“It's just that I was sick yesterday but feel better today...”

“I told you I'd give you a magic hug!” Jack exclaimed and took him in his arms.

Ianto rolled his eyes but still responded to the hug, burying his face in Jack's neck because it was so warm. When they parted, Ianto pouted, and Tosh burst out laughing. They walked in the streets for a while in the snow, and stopped when it started snowing a bit more. It wasn't long, but the snow still stayed, and it was far enough for a snowball fight, because that was the sole point of snow, right?

Tosh threw the first to Ianto, who ducked, knowing his best friend well, but didn't warn Jack who took the ball in the face. Both his friends laughed, and it was the beginning of war. Ianto and Tosh were now masters at ducking balls, but Jack was used to his brother, who threw with much less strength and... mischief. Tosh and Ianto were trying to get snow in his clothes, and that just wasn't fair.

It didn't mean that Tosh and Ianto were together against Jack, as Tosh soon found herself under a tree, and Ianto threw a well-placed snowball with just the right strength to shake the tree a bit. Part of the snow on the branches fell on her, and Ianto was clever enough to run away while Jack stood there, making fun of her. He regretted it as she didn't even throw a ball, but took a handful of snow and put it under his coat.

It wasn't a ball fight any more but a game of who would put the more snow in the others' faces. Tosh retreated behind a tree after a while – regularly checking if Ianto wouldn't pop out of nowhere and shake the tree – but Jack stayed in the middle, with Ianto. He was trying to put snow in his collar, and Ianto held him at arm's length, struggling so he would keep his advantage. Most of the snow Jack was holding ended up on the ground, but he still had some, and was winning their battle, so Ianto abruptly took a step away, and Jack stumbled and fell on the ground – maybe with a bit of Ianto's help.

Ianto realised his mistake when he felt Jack's hand tightened its hold on his wrist, and he fell with him, grunting as he hit a chest.

“Ah!” Jack soon yelled. “Cold!”

Ianto laughed but stopped when Jack put his arms around him. He rolled them over and put his hand under Ianto's coat with a large amount of snow and Ianto gasped.

“That's cheating!” Ianto exclaimed, and tried to move but chose to still so the snow wouldn't go on other spots.

Jack grinned above him and kissed his cold nose, then his lips, cupping his face. Ianto wanted to push him away, but it was warm and he responded. At the same moment he threw snow at Jack's face, Jack brought some on his neck, and Tosh arrived with her arms full of snow she let go on them. They both tried to get away and rolled on the side, then sat on the snow with a pout.

“That's for snogging in the snow,” Tosh smiled, her hands on her hips.

Ianto and Jack smiled innocently and got on their feet, all stopping the fight in a silent agreement. They walked Jack to the train station where they left him and went back home.

“ _Don't forget to come tomorrow._ ” Ianto smiled at Jack's text when he got out of a hot shower. Jack had asked him to come by to help him set the flat for the New Year Eve party he was throwing, and Ianto was more than happy to come give a hand.

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Day 30: Mistletoe"

Getting a flat ready to celebrate the New Year Eve with Jack Harkness was something hard. He kept distracting Ianto, and his hands kept wandering on spots in Ianto's body that resulted in him not being able to concentrate on the task at hand.

They managed to finish by the end of the day, even if Jack said it was perfect except for one thing. As Ianto was tidying everything, Jack coughed behind him and put something in Ianto's hair. Ianto frowned.

“Hey! Look at this! We're under a mistletoe!” Jack exclaimed, grinning like a mad man.

Ianto rolled his eyes and took the mistletoe away from his hair, then tilted his head to kiss Jack briefly.

“Not fair,” Jack pouted. “It specifically says that you have to snog the person.”

“I'm not sure,” Ianto smiled, patting Jack's chest.

“What if it makes me happy?”

Ianto laughed and kissed Jack properly, then pulled away and pursed his lips.

“So, do you want to put it somewhere?” Ianto asked, showing the mistletoe.

Jack thought for a moment.

“I'll deal with this,” he said, nodding to himself.

 


	31. Chapter 31

Jack and Ianto had spent the day out with some friends, then had gone back to Jack's flat to set the last things that needed to be done before everyone came in.

Only their closest friends were here, because they didn't really want to do big, especially not Ianto who felt quickly uneasy in crowded places. Not that he didn't like people, but parties weren't his favourite things and he'd rather spend the night with some friends all talking to each other than a lot of people, without even talking to half of them. Jack hadn't complained, even if he had spent his last New Year Eves in crowded places rather than in a flat with only a dozen of friends – which was already a lot, true.

It was pleasant, they talked, they danced, they laughed, they even watched a movie – and laughed in front of it – and the night was great, and Jack and Ianto even kissed while dancing, without anyone annoying them.

The countdown to midnight was hilarious, and they totally missed the right time, but at least had a good laugh about it.

When the party slowly died out and that some went home and others fell asleep, Jack and Ianto left the main room to go to Jack's bedroom. When they entered, both smiling, Jack stopped, closing the door behind him.

“Hey,” he grinned, looking up.

Ianto followed his stare and rolled his eyes when he saw a mistletoe.

“So your brilliant idea was to put it in your own bedroom?”

“Yeah,” Jack smiled. “Guess that means you have to kiss me.”

“Were you afraid I wouldn't kiss you?” Ianto chuckled.

“I knew you would, I mean, I'm irresistible, obviously, but...”

“Oh shut up, I'm sure it says somewhere you have to kiss the person and stop talking,” Ianto sighed.

Jack laughed and pulled Ianto close, putting his hands on his waist to kiss him tenderly. Ianto responded then pulled back, his hands on Jack's chest.

“We're not having sex with people still in the house, right?” Ianto frowned.

Jack burst out laughing and shook his head. “Can't I kiss you without thinking of sex?”

“... Well. It usually goes in pairs with you,” Ianto shrugged.

Jack pretended to be hurt and kissed Ianto again to take his revenge.

“Oh, and happy New Year,” Jack whispered when they parted long enough for him to say something.

“It looks like it's starting well,” Ianto smiled.

They kissed one more time, then lay on the bed, not undressing by mere laziness, and fell asleep against each other.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!
> 
> Thank you so much for following this story, it's the end of the prompts! However, if you guys enjoyed this story enough to want another or more chapters, tell me what stayed unanswered or what you'd like to read. (for example more of Rhiannon maybe, that stayed pretty much unresolved.) I really love writing for people, more than for myself! (so I'm not saying I will do it, but I will most definitely try.)  
> But, still, thanks for reading and commenting (or not), I hope you all have a good year, and I'll see you with even more fics ;)


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